Pollution Hotspot
By Wendy Heller, December 11, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
Researchers from Sweden have identified many sources of pollution have been overlooked when it comes to the Baltic Sea. They determined that there has been a larger amounts than previously suspected of untreated human waste and toxic materials including heavy metals dumped into the Baltic Sea from its bodering countries.
The lack of proper water exchange between the Atlantic, Baltic and Artic Oceans allows for dead zones to arise and the water becomes oxygen defficient.
But the problem is exacerbated by the use of fertiliser - including nitrogen and phosphorus - which runs off fields into streams and rivers. When it reaches the ocean, it provides nutrients for algae, which can form blooms.
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